Man in the News: Kiichi Miyazawa; Self-Assured Leader of Japan

By STEVEN R. WEISMAN,

Published: October 28, 1991

TOKYO, Oct. 27—
At the height of the oil shortages of the 1970's, a Cabinet minister in Japan caused a furor when he accused the United States of poor leadership, mismanagement of its economy and "dragging its feet" on energy.

Today, that official, Kiichi Miyazawa, was chosen to become Prime Minister at a time when grumbling over American policies is louder than ever. The triumph was sweet for this courtly but shrewd veteran of countless political wars, who had tried for years without success to attain the top job.

This evening, Mr. Miyazawa said that the coming 50th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor would be a "meaningful moment" for strengthening ties with the United States, and that his first goal would be to issue a new declaration of shared purpose when President Bush visits Tokyo next month.

"The United States and Japan share the same values and bear a heavy responsibility for world order," Mr. Miyazawa, who is 72 years old, said at a news conference. "Because we share the same values, we are allowed to discuss everything freely with each other. I hope President Bush and I can do that."

Most politicians expect Mr. Miyazawa to bring more self-assurance to the job than has been seen in the prime ministership in many years. Moreover, his excellent command of English will most likely enable him to communicate more candidly to Americans than any recent predecessor.

But what will be communicated is another question. American officials are wondering whether Mr. Miyazawa will be more effective than Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu in accommodating Washington, or more willing to tell the United States off.

"He knows America and he speaks English extremely well," an admiring Japanese diplomat said. "But that does not mean he is pro-American. He might be more blunt than Americans are used to. It's something he is going to have to watch."

Mr. Miyazawa effectively assumed leadership of Japan when he was elected president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, succeeding Mr. Kaifu, whose term expires on Wednesday. His formal installation in Parliament as Prime Minister is to occur in about a week.

His selection, in a vote of Liberal Democratic members of Parliament and local party leaders, was by a comfortable margin but not as wide as some had expected. Mr. Miyazawa received 285 votes out of 496 cast, with the remainder going to Michio Watanabe and Hiroshi Mitsuzuka, both heads of other factions in the ruling party.

Political experts will be watching to see how much Mr. Miyazawa is influenced by the faction of former Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita, which abandoned Mr. Kaifu and then endorsed Mr. Miyazawa, apparently in return for wide latitude in running the party political machinery.

Policies in Japan tend to be decided by consensus among politicians, bureaucrats and powerful interest groups; and on most issues, Mr. Miyazawa's views are a product of that consensus. He is opposed to opening Japanese markets to rice imports, as demanded by Washington. He supports the constitutional ban on military force, preservation of military ties with the United States and promotion of trade.

But in several key respects, Mr. Miyazawa could bring a fresh approach. He seems more eager for Japan to play a forceful role in international financial problems, including aiding the Soviet Union. Memories of U.S. Occupation

Friends say Mr. Miyazawa has a deep affection for the United States and its leadership but is harshly critical of what he feels has been a recent practice of letting its economy worsen and blaming Japan.

Others note that he has never shaken the bad memories of American behavior after the war, when as a junior aide in the Finance Ministry he had to listen to imperious lectures by Gen. Douglas A. MacArthur and other occupation leaders.

In his recently published memoirs, Mr. Miyazawa wrote that "it may be hard for young people today to understand how unpleasant it was to live under the occupation."

In many ways, the ascension of Mr. Miyazawa marks a return to old-style politics, revealing what is widely seen to be the party's indifference to the reforms to which party leaders, including Mr. Miyazawa, give lip service.

He is not widely popular, and has a reputation as an aloof, autocratic backroom maneuverer. In December 1988, he resigned as Finance Minister after making a series of contradictory statements and then finally acknowledging that his office had received questionable payments in the bribery and corruption scandals of that time.

Those scandals eventually forced the resignation of Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita. The party decided to put its leadership in the hands of Mr. Kaifu, an untested but "clean" former Education Minister who remained popular among voters despite widespread disrespect from professionals.

Mr. Kaifu's reputation for indecisiveness and willingness to do the bidding of a few top power brokers finally caught up with him last month. Mr. Miyazawa had meanwhile maintained good relations with party insiders so that he was in a position to pick up the pieces when Mr. Kaifu's base collapsed.

Kiichi Miyazawa was born Oct. 8, 1919, in Tokyo and graduated from the Imperial University in Tokyo before serving as a bureaucrat in the Finance Ministry, getting his baptism in negotiations over a peace treaty with the United States in 1951.

He got his start in politics the same way about a third of his ruling party colleagues in Parliament have, by running for his father's seat, in Hiroshima, in western Japan.

Mr. Miyazawa helped negotiate a major textile accord with the United States in 1971 and as Finance Minister worked closely Treasury Secretary Nicholas F. Brady in 1988 on debt bail outs for Latin American countries.

He and his wife, Yoko, have a son, Hiro, an architect, and a daughter, Keiko, who is married to Christopher J. Lafleur, a diplomat in the East Asian and Pacific Affairs section of the State Department. Mr. Miyazawa has two younger brothers, one a member of the upper house of Parliament and the other a retired Ambassador.